Rural Family Physicians Have a Broader Scope of Practice than Urban Family Physicians

Objective

While the scope of practice of family physicians has been shrinking, they still practice broadly, often due to fewer health care resources in rural areas. Using data from family physicians seeking continued board certification in 2014 and 2015, we found that a high percentage of rural family physicians provide nearly every clinical service queried.

Suggested Citation

Peterson LE, Fang B. Rural Family Physicians Have a Broader Scope of Practice Than Urban Family Physicians. Lexington, KY: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center; 2018.